Cognitive strategies to promote healthy eating

Researchers report a technique for improving food choices and reducing unhealthy eating. In two experiments with 270 participants, around 19 to 36 years of age, Hedy Kober and colleagues instructed participants to think about either positive or negative aspects of healthy and unhealthy foods. Thinking about the positive aspects of food led to strong cravings and increased willingness to pay for healthy foods, whereas thinking about the negative aspects of food led to weak cravings and reduced willingness to pay for unhealthy foods. For instance, when considering positive qualities, participants expressed a desire for more--and were willing to pay more for--healthy foods such as broccoli. Next, the authors developed a brief Regulation of Craving Training (ROC-T), whereby participants were trained to think about either positive aspects of healthy foods or negative aspects of unhealthy foods. ROC-T significantly increased the number of healthy foods participants chose in the presence of unhealthy alternatives in four experiments involving more than 1,200 adults. Participants who underwent ROC-T not only chose more healthy foods, but also subsequently consumed fewer calories, compared with control participants. The results suggest that ROC-T is a simple and effective intervention that might improve approaches for preventing or reducing obesity, according to the authors.

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Article #17-17092: "Training in cognitive strategies reduces eating and improves food choice," by Rebecca G. Boswell, Wendy Sun, Shosuke Suzuki, and Hedy Kober.

MEDIA CONTACT: Hedy Kober, Yale University, New Haven, CT; tel: 203-737-5641; e-mail: hedy.kober@yale.edu